All the Wind in the World

July 31, 2017
Posing as cousins, Sarah and James hide their true feelings to survive among the itinerant jimadors cutting maguey in New Mexico. An accident forces them to flee to a Texas ranch called the Real Marvelous, but their usual con job starts to backfire, as if the ghosts of their past are finally catching up to them. A vein of superstition courses through the tale, cut with stark realities, raw descriptions, and plenty of grit. Mabry (A Fierce and Subtle Poison) doesn’t revel in the brutality and blood spilled, nor does she shy from their place in the reality of ranch life. The depth of Sarah’s despair as she is broken by the desert and the weight of her losses—her dead sister and James’s love, among them—is palpable in her narration, peeling back layers of her story through memories that shape her character and explain her relationships and reactions. But an abrupt twist of fate in the final pages leads too easily to a nearly happy ending, robbing the story of some of its magnitude. Ages 14–up. Agent: Claire Anderson-Wheeler, Regal Hoffmann & Associates.

Maria Cabezas's narration of Sarah Jac's life at the Real Marvelous Ranch is a stunning rendition of the story. Her soothing voice gives authenticity to the heartbreaking love story of Sarah Jac and James. They work in the maguey fields of the bone-dry Southwest, trying to earn enough money to buy a home for themselves. Slowly, over the course of the narrative, we find out about their past. Cabezas's narration not only reflects the voice of the young narrator but also the heartbreaking stories of all the characters who are trying so hard to survive. With its beautiful imagery and a compelling mystery filled with magical realism, this is an audiobook not to miss. C.G. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine